Arch-support.



APPLICATIUN FILED DEQ,

WITNESS! JOHN H. "WILLETT, l1 CHICAGO, LLENOIS.

ARCH-SUPELR'I'.

retoma Specification of Letters atent.

ltatented Sept. lo, 1%170 Application filed December 29, i916. SerialNo. 139,516.

To all whom L? may concer/a: l

Be it known that I, JOHN H. WILLEM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State'of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Arch- Supports, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in arch supports or instepprops, and more particularly to 5a' device of this character whichis'constructed to be fitted Withinv a shoeto bear against the plantarsurface of the foot and is adjustable to vary the distribution of thesupporting pressure exerted upon the arch or instep.

An object of my invention resides in providing a support or propincluding a more or less fixed supporting plate and a flexible covering,together with means by which the plateale adjustably mounted withrespect to the flexible covering soo that the plate can be set'in variedrelations with respect to the covering` to bring the pressure to bear atdiff, ferent points beneath the metatarsal arch and with respect to thelongitudinal arch.

, A further object lies in so constructing the fastening means for thetwo members that adjustment an be made of the shaped memberlongitudinally 'of the covering member and also lateral adjustment canbe accom-- plished to in this way give greater latitude of use due tothe fact that it is not necessary to have a special Asupport for eachdeformed condition but the arches of a single design can be adjusted tosecure tho proper corrective pressure for diliering cases.

Yet another object to provide the shaped member with a molded portion tobe received against the anterior metatarsal arch and to be adjustabletransveisely Within the shoeto distribute the weight of the \vea. erproperly upon the toot and in this way aid in the strength@ninav of thearch and in a natural correction of the deformity.

W' ith the above and other objects in View, my invention consists inAcertain novel features of construction and combinations of parts whichwill be hereinafter forth in connection with the drawings and then moreparticularly pointed out in the claims.

lFigure l is a view in bottom plan of an arch support constructed afterthe manner of my invention.

Fig. 2 'is a View similar to Fig. l taken from the upper side of thearch support.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of F ig.2.

A stiilening member l is shaped at the heel portion 2 thereof to fit andbear Within a shoe against the sole thereof, is raised in an arch 3, andthen terminates at its remaining end in a broadened out portion 4adapted to be received against the sole portion of the shoe forward ofthe instep arch of the same. At its side, the plate or stiftening memberl is widened out as at 5 and is bent up or otherwise molded or shaped totake the torni of the' side of the foot and the arch. This shaping ofthe arch 3 and the formation of the foot 5 provides a structure whichwill present a rise or arch on that portion of the sole ot' the shoeadjacent the metatarsal arch of the foot. A covering member G, which isof a material Which is used'to conform to and mold over the lines of thestitl'ening` member l is provided t0 cover over the entire stili'ening`member, and to give the `proper smoothness to the completed archsupport7 it is preferable that this covering' member G be made so thatit will project at its marginal edges at all sides beyond the edge ofthe stilfening member l. The widened out and of the stiliening member isbossed up as shown at 7, and it is a purpose that this bossed up portionshall present a rise on that portion of the arch structure which Willfit beneath the anterior metatarsal .arch of the foot. The parts asdescribed might be fitted together to be rigidly mounted one withrespect to the other, and a very' efficient sup port would be providedas the bossed up port-ion '.7 fitting beneath the anterior metatarsalarch would brace up this part Whereas arched formation 3 of thestilfening member l would hold the arch raised to the proper degree,however, it is desirable that provision be made for the adjustment ofthe stiflening member l with respect to the covn ering member 6 so thatthe disposition of the bossed up portion 7 and also the relativemounting ot the stillening member as an entirety with respect to thecovering member 6 can be Varied. It will be understood that the coveringmember o will lit Within the lines ot' the shoe and that consequentlythis member will determine the position occupied b v the arch support ina shoe, in View of which fact the adjustment. of the still'ening memberl with respect to the covering memflattened portion 4 substantiallycrowfoot shaped slotted opening 9 is formed. Screws 10 and 11 are eX-4tended through suitable openings provided in the covering member 6, andafter being passed through the slotted openings 8 and 9, have the nutsl2 and 13 fitted thereon. It is of course to be understood that thescrews 10 and 11 'are so positioned that when the screw 10 occupies therear end of the slot 8, the screw 11l will be in a like position in theslotted opening 9.

In the use'of the arch support, if the proper adjustment has beenobtained, the arch supporting structure can be fitted within the shoe tobe held in place by the covering member 6 and the stiening member 1 willthen hold the covering member 6 in such relation that the lbearing ofthe same against the plantar surface of the foot will give propersupport to the' arch of the foot. As has been stated, the coveringmember 6 will determine the position of the arch supporting structurewithin the shoe, and therefore adjustment of the stiifening member 1with respect to the covering member 6 will accomplish variation of theconfiguration -of the covering member 6 as presented for the bearing ofthe foot thereagainst. By loosening the screws 10 and 11, the stiffeninglplate or member 1 can be shifted vto any of the various positions asshown in Fig. 1,'to bring the arch 3 and the bosped formation 7rearwardly, to throw the forward endv f1 of the stiffening member havingthe boss 7 formed therein through either side and to thus varythevdisposition of the supporting structure of the arch.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the stifi'ening member can beadjusted to a number of various positions with respect to the lcoveringmember to thus change the surface shape .of the arch support, and thatby tightening the screws 10-and11 the stiffening member 1 can be lockedand secured 1n` the adjusted position vwith respect to the coveringmember' 6. Vi/'hen the stiffening member 'l is adjusted forwardly andrearwardly, it

-also it will be seen-that by swinging the stiilening member 1 at itsforward` end to the one side or the other, to bring the screw l1 intothe branched arms of the slotted.

opening 9, the disposition of the bossed upJ yportion 7 will be variedand in consequence will 'be understood that a number of changes andvariations might be resorted to in the form and arrangement ofthe partsas well as inthe materials used in the construction of the arch support,and while it is perhaps preferable that the stiilening member 1 be ofaluminum, German silver, or other like metal, and'that the coveringmember 6 be of leather, and hence I do not Wish to be limited to theexact disclosure but only to such points as may beset forth in theclaims.

I claim: p

'1. An arch support adapted tobe fiitted within a shoe upon the solethereof to thus be disposed to bear against the plantar sur face of thefoot, including a stiffening member shaped to fit the instep arch of thefoot the shape of the stiffening member mounted` over said stiffeningmember, and j means passed through the covering member and through theslotted openings of the stiffen' ing member to secure the same togetherto be capable of adjustable movement through shifting of said meanswithin the slotted openings.

2. An arch support including a stiifening member shaped toa form tofitfthe foot and having slotted openings provided at the for- Ward andrear ends thereof, a covering member of la material which will conformto the shape of the stiffening member made of a size ttirfit within ashoe and determine the positionfof mounting of the support, and screwspassed through the slotted openings and through the covering member tohold said members connected together but at the saine time allowingmovement of the stiffenf Within a shoe upon the sole thereof to thus bedisposed to bear against the plantar surface of the foot, including acoverin member of a l,more or less iexible material which in usew'illconform to the shape of the foot as supported, a stifeningmemberprovided with an elongated slotted opening at one end. and having asubstantially crowfoot shaped slotted opening at the remaining end, andmeans carried by the covering member fitted through the slotted openingto secure the stiflening member adjustably in place thereon;

4. An larch support adapted to be Fitted 3. An arch support adapted tobe fittedwithin a shoe upon the sole, thereof i'nelnding a eoveringmember ot a more or less flexible material, a stitl'ening member arehedup in its ventral portion and having slotted openings provided at itsends, screws earried b v the eovering member fitted through the slottedopenings ot' the stiftening` member to mount the stitl'ening memberadjnstahly upon the eovering member. and elamp nuts fitted on saidserews` to be tightened against the stitl'euing member to retain thesame in adjusted positions.

5. n areh support adapted to be fitted within a shoe upon the solethereotl to thus be disposed to bear against the plantar surt'aee ot thetoot` including aeovering member olE a more or less flexible materialwhich in usel will eont'orm to the shape ot' the foot as supported, astiltening member arehed up in its central portion and at its forwardend provided with a bossed up formation, said stitfening member providedwith an elongated slotted opening at the heel end and at the toe endhaving a substantially ermvtoot shaped slotted opening, and elamp serewsextending through the Covering Vmember and throi'igh the slottedopenings of the stiltening member to thus permit adjustment ot therelative positioning ot' the stitl'ening member within the'shoe and tovar v the distribution ot" pressure. as exerted by the areh supportingrstrueture upon the metatarsal areh and the longitudinal areh ot' thefoot.

t. An arch suipport adapted to be fitted within a shoe upon the solethereotI ineluding a eorering member ot a more or less flexible-materialshaped to substantially tit the sole ot' tho shoe and position thesupport thereon. a stitlening member arehed up dn the eentral portionthereot' to take substantially the shape ot the instep areh ot a toot,said stitl'ening member provided with an elongated Islotted opening atone end and at. the, remaining end having a substantially erowt'ootshaped slotted opening, serews carried by said eovering member fittedthrough the openings ot the stitlening member and adjustable therein toallow adjustment of the s titl'ening member to vary the distribution otpressure. as exerted by the areh supporting strut-ture. upon a toot, andelamp nuts .itted to said screws to be tight ened against thestitl'ening membel and to thus seenre, the same in thel desired adjustedrelation with respect to the covering member.

ln testimony whereof I atix my signature in presi-awe ot' two witnesses.

JOHN Il. WILLlYVl.

anterior lVitnesses:

l. J. lViLLn'r'r, (l. Il. Wn rrmiALL.

